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Batman Province

Coordinates: 38°04′55″N 41°24′26″E / 38.08194°N 41.40722°E / 38.08194; 41.40722
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Batman Province
Province
Location of Batman Province in Turkey
Location of Batman Province in Turkey
CountryTurkey
SeatBatman
Government
 • GovernorEkrem Canalp
Area
[2]
4,477 km2 (1,729 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
634,491
 • Density141.7/km2 (367.1/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)
Area code0488
Websitebatman.gov.tr

Batman Province (Turkish: Batman ili; Kurdish: Parêzgeha Êlihê, transl. "Province of Êlih";[3] Armenian: Բատմանի զավառ, transl. "Province of Batman") is a province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey.[4] It was created in May 1990 with Law No. 3647, incorporating districts from the eastern Siirt Province and the southern Mardin Province.[5] The province has an area of 4,477 km2 (1,729 sq mi) and a population of 634,491 (2022).[2][1] Its current governor is Ekrem Canalp.[6]

The province is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan and has a Kurdish majority.[7][8] It is an important center for Turkey's oil industry, which has driven rapid urbanization since the mid-20th century.

History

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Origins and industrialization

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The history of the modern province is inextricably linked to the discovery of oil. Prior to the 1940s, the site of the provincial capital was a small village known as Iluh. The search for oil in the region began in 1935, culminating on 20 April 1940, when oil was discovered at a depth of 1048 meters at the Raman oil field. Commercial production began in 1947, followed by the construction of a refinery in 1948. By 1955, the facility's capacity was expanded to 330 tonnes per day.[9] This rapid industrialization transformed the village of Iluh into the booming urban center of Batman, attracting significant migration and altering the region's social fabric.[citation needed]

Recent history

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From July 1987 to October 1997, the region was included in the OHAL state of emergency zone, established to combat the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgency.[10] During the 1990s, Batman became a focal point of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict. The province experienced a wave of political violence, including hundreds of killings by "unidentified gunmen" (faili meçhul), many of which were attributed to the conflict between the PKK and the Kurdish Hezbollah.[citation needed][11] Batman was widely reported to be a stronghold for the Kurdish Hezbollah, a Sunni Islamist organization that utilized the province for recruitment and training during this period.[citation needed][12]

Geography

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The province occupies an area of 4,477 km2 (1,729 sq mi).[2] It lies in a mountainous area with an average elevation of 550 meters, containing thousands of caves. The tallest mountains are Sason Dağları (2500 m), Meleto (2967 m), Kuşaklı Dağı (1947 m), Avcı Dağı (2121 m), Meydanok Tepesi (2042 m), Kortepe (2082 m) and Raman Dağı (1288 m). Several rivers flow through the province, including the Tigris, Batman, Sason, and Garzan.

The 115 km (71 mi) long Batman River flows approximately north to south, forming a natural border between Batman Province and Diyarbakır Province. The Tigris flows west to east, merging with the Batman River before exiting the province.

Districts

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The province is divided into six districts:

There are 289 villages in the province.[13]

Demographics

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Population growth of Batman Province (1990–2020)

The population of the province has grown rapidly, purportedly due to the inflow of workforce to the capital driven by the oil industry.[citation needed] Between 1990 and 2000, its population rose at a rate of 5% per year. The total population was 634,491 in 2022.[1]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1990344,669—    
2000456,734+2.86%
2010510,200+1.11%
2020620,278+1.97%
Source:Turkstat[14][15][16]

Economy

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The province's economy is heavily defined by its hydrocarbon resources. Several major oil fields are located in the province, including the Batı Raman oil field, which produces about 7,000 barrels daily and is the largest oil field in Turkey.[17][18]

Crude oil is transported via a 511 km (318 mi) pipeline constructed in 1967 from Batman to the port city of Dörtyol on the Mediterranean Sea. Another pipeline (41 km (25 mi)) connects Batman with Şelmo, the site of Turkey's second-largest oil field.[19] Both pipelines are operated by BOTAŞ.[20][21]

Energy infrastructure includes the Batman Dam, constructed between 1986 and 1999. It has a height of 85 meters and an annual power generation capacity of 483 GWh (peak power 198 MW). The associated reservoir has a surface area of 49 km2 and a volume of 1.175 km3, supplying water to an area of 37,744 hectares (93,270 acres).[22]

Oil fields of Batman Province[17][9]
Name Discovered Production
started in		 Reserves
(million bbl)		 Production
(bbl/day, 2007)
Batı Kozluca 1978 1980 138 1500
Batı Raman 1961 1962 1850 7000
Dinçer oil field 1988 1990 55 400
Garzan oil field 1951 1956 163 1700
İkiztepe oil field 1988 1990 53 400
Raman oil field 1940 1947 400 4000

Historical sites

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The province is rich in archaeological history. The most significant site, the ancient town of Hasankeyf, was largely submerged in 2020 following the completion of the Ilısu Dam. Several key monuments, including the Tomb of Zeynel Bey and the Artukid Bath, were relocated to a new archaeological park (New Hasankeyf) prior to the flooding.[23]

Other notable historical sites include the Malabadi Bridge, built in 1146–1147 by the Artuqids near Silvan, and the Imam Abdullah Dervish monastery.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Li Êlihê teqîn... kuşti û birîndar heye". Nerina Azad (in Kurdish). 4 October 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Türkiye Mülki İdare Bölümleri Envanteri". T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  5. ^ Deichmann, Somik V. Lall, Souleymane Coulibaly, Uwe (2007). Urbanization and Productivity: Evidence from Turkish Provinces over the Period. World Bank Publications. p. 7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "T.C. Batman Valiliği". www.batman.gov.tr. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  7. ^ Watts, Nicole F. (2010). Activists in Office: Kurdish Politics and Protest in Turkey (Studies in Modernity and National Identity). Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-295-99050-7.
  8. ^ Izreʿel, Shlomo; Drory, Rina (1995). Language and Culture in the Near East. BRILL. p. 244. ISBN 9789004104570.
  9. ^ a b History of petroleum Archived 2011-12-23 at the Wayback Machine, tpao.gov.tr
  10. ^ "Case of Dogan and others v. Turkey" (PDF). p. 21. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  11. ^ Jonathan Rugman; Roger Hutchings (13 March 2001). Ataturk's Children. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 55–. ISBN 978-0-8264-5490-4.
  12. ^ Akkoç v. Turkey, Application Nos. 22947/93, 22948/93, Judgement of 10 October 2000 Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, European Court of Human Rights judgment concerning Akkoç v. Turkey case, section II, C
  13. ^ Köy Archived 2015-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  14. ^ Genel Nüfus Sayımları
  15. ^ Turkstat
  16. ^ "The Results of Address Based Population Registration System, 2020". Turkish Statistical Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  17. ^ a b Gengiz Keskin and Cengiz Can (1986). "Upper cretaceous carbonate reservoirs of the Raman Field, Southeast Turkey". Carbonates and Evaporites. 1 (1): 25–43. doi:10.1007/BF03174401. S2CID 129219634.
  18. ^ Sacaeddin Sahin; et al. (2008). "Bati Raman Field Immiscible CO2 Application: Status Quo and Future Plans" (PDF). SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering. 11 (4): 778–791. doi:10.2118/106575-PA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  19. ^ Selmo Oil Field Archived March 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, TransAtlantic Petroleum
  20. ^ "Batman-Dörtyol Petrol Boru Hattı (Turkish)". BOTAŞ. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  21. ^ International Transport Forum; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (30 April 2009). Intermodal transport: National peer review: Turkey. International Transport Forum. pp. 87, 94. ISBN 978-92-821-0222-0. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  22. ^ Batman Dam Archived July 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works
  23. ^ "Hasankeyf: The ancient town swallowed by a dam". BBC News. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
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38°04′55″N 41°24′26″E / 38.08194°N 41.40722°E / 38.08194; 41.40722

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